The New World
by responsibilityavoider
Summary: Set in the same universe as The Walking Dead, Tilly is a young girl with a mysterious past and an unknown future. After finding a new group, a member disappears after they are forced to change location. With all eyes on the stranger, Tilly is forced to clear her name and find the perpetrator. Can she do it? Or is she next? And what will be become of her when she reopens her past?


Tilly's dream came to an abrupt end. The sun was beginning to make its ascent over the horizon, its golden light hitting the landscape and bringing it to life. She felt it's warmth on her face before she woke, and when she opened her eyes, for a moment she was able to convince herself that she was still asleep.

She adjusted herself to reality quickly and stared blankly at the scenery. Any other day and this would have been the most breathtaking scene she had ever witnessed in her life.

'Tilly! I see you're finally awake. We'll be moving soon. Dave spotted some corpses to the west.'

Tilly picked herself up from the ground and stood, stretching her arms. She checked her belt. Her knife was still there. _Good._

She was currently camping with a group of people. Miah was the one who found her, and the only one that has spoken to her since then. She was too nice. She didn't belong here. Miah was a tall, thin woman with messy brown hair and sharp eyes. She generally had a smile on her face, although it was easy to tell that it was something she forced. Tilly had noticed a wedding ring on her finger since the first moment they had met, but she didn't want to mention it to her. No need to bring up an unnecessary topic.

They made their way down to the campsite, where a few tents had been pitched and a few campervans were parked. There were five vehicles in total. Two campervan, one four-wheel drive one pickup truck and a small sedan. Miah began giving some instructions and talking to Dave, a strong man with an unruly beard and glasses. Tilly had never seen him up close, but from this distance he seemed kind as well. Tilly found that suspicious.

She watched from the edge as everyone packed up the campsite. They were fast, and ensured that only the most necessary items were taken. It wasn't the first time that they had done this. Someone tapped Tilly's shoulder. She flinched and in an instant had already withdrawn her knife and pointed it at the person behind her.

'Tilly, I was callin' your name and you didn't seem to hear. I'm Leo, do you remember me? We haven't talked properly yet, but I was with Miah that other time.'

She returned her knife back to her belt and looked away from him, annoyed at how he had approached her.

'…what is it.'

He walked in front of her and looked directly into her eyes. His eyes seemed vacant somehow, and although he was giving her a pleasant smile she felt uncomfortable being so close to him. He was a tall man, and quite strong. His hair was a light blonde in colour, unwashed and greasy. Tilly averted his gaze and instead looked at the collar of his dark blue t-shirt, which was ragged and in need of a wash.

'I suggest that you start helpin' with the pack up. Standin' here doesn't really look too good. You should help the others. That includes yourself, Tilly.'

He patted her shoulder with his strong hand and gave her a nod.

'You understand.' He said.

Tilly sighed and walked slowly out of her corner and into the opening. The group wasn't very large, but Tilly didn't know the exact numbers. She had never bothered counting them all. That would only bring her sadness. The only one she kept track of was the youngest in the group, a boy of seven. He was the only member with the exception of Miah and Dave that she remembered clearly. His mother held his hand tightly in hers as she carried a backpack to one of the campervans. Tilly didn't really know what exactly she could to do help, but decided it was best to start with her. She could tell under the woman's dirt covered face that her cheeks were flushed red. She was out of breath and her eyes were wide with panic. Tilly moved towards her carefully and put her hand on the backpack she was carrying.

'I'll help you with this.'

Tilly noticed that the woman's hands were shaking. She couldn't look at her eyes, but the woman thanked her quietly and took her son quickly to the campervan, getting him inside and closing the door.

'J-just…put it over here.'

She opened the back door of the campervan and pointed inside. After Tilly threw the bag in, the woman closed the sliding door and locked it with a key she had tied around her wrist.

'Thanks for that…I just really want to leave…those _things_ …'

She trailed off and looked at her hands, squeezing them in and out of fists.

'You…you're that new one…the one they found on the road last week.'

She had glanced up at Tilly, the panic in her eyes gone. Instead, she looked at Tilly with an odd curiosity. Tilly nodded in response, and looked around to see if there was someone else she could help. She had no interest in staying to talk about the past.

'You look so young…how long were you alone for? If my Charlie were ever alone…'

'I don't see how that's your concern. I don't want to talk about this. I need to help others. Excuse me.'

Tilly left, and as she walked with her back to the woman, she could have sworn she heard her sneer.

Miah found Tilly in no time. She threw a ten bag at her as well as instructions as to where to put it. Tilly obliged, and as she moved towards one of the pickup trucks she noticed Leo glaring at her from the other side of the car. She ignored him, but continued to feel his gaze for the remainder of the morning.

Soon enough, the cars began to leave. Miah, Dave, and two other men stayed behind with Tilly as they watched the other cars leave. They were to follow after they had completed one last sweep of the area and checked for corpses. Miah stayed in the once full clearing with Tilly as the three men began the final check.

'I really hate this,' Miah said after a moment of silence, 'as soon as I get used to a place, we have to leave again…I just want to stay somewhere, you know? I want to go to a place and call it _home_.'

Tilly didn't feel the need to reply to Miah's comment. Miah had a solemn expression on her as she watched the place where Dave and the others had left from. Tilly looked around at the thick forest that surrounded the clearing. Despite the lack of rain, the leaves were a bright green and the foliage below the trees flourished. The song of birds could still be heard through the branches, and the wind made it seem as though the trees were moving by themselves. Tilly felt sadness. This was the first day she had taken notice of what her surroundings _looked_ like.

A minute or so had passed, and Miah was growing anxious.

'We need to leave soon, what's taking them so long!?'

She began to pace slightly, and checked the clearing again. The day was growing hotter by the minute, and the forest was becoming more and more humid. It seemed as though rain was on its way, and tension was building over Miah. Suddenly, a man entered the clearing from the south side of the forest. Miah smiled for a moment until she realised who it was.

'Leo, aren't you meant to have already left? You know the roads here, right? You should be helping with the navigating!'

He had stopped in front of the truck, scratching his head with hind hand.

'Well, see, I went over yonder to take a leak an' when I come back, it's this situation now.'

He peered past Miah and stared at Tilly. She felt a slight chill and looked away as soon as his eyes met hers. There was something different about him. His shirt wasn't as dirty as it had been earlier. Perhaps he went to the nearby stream?

'Where's Dave and Merc?' he asked.

'They're not back yet, and neither is Victor…I don't know what to do.'

Leo shrugged and walked to the back of the truck. Miah stepped back and watched him. He fished around in the back and pulled out a shotgun.

'I'll go out an' look.'

'No, not with that. No sounds. We don't want to attract a corpse.'

A gave Miah an uneasy laugh. Tilly watched the situation carefully. If he shot that gun, it would be over for them. Before Leo could retaliate, Dave pushed his way into the clearing, hacking at the thick undergrowth with his machete. Behind him came one of the other men. Tilly noticed the fresh crimson stains that splattered Dave's dirty grey shirt. A few drops were also on his face and the lenses of his glasses. The man behind him was stained as well, not that it made much difference to their already filthy clothes. Miah looked at him with a worried expression. He simply shook his head.

The five of them got into the pickup truck, with Miah driving, Tilly in the passenger seat and the men sitting in the back, holding onto the roof and surveying the forest around them. Tilly closed her eyes. There was a long trip ahead of them. She wasn't going to waste the opportunity to dream. Not ever would she miss out on the opportunity to escape. Never.

She woke with her back against a wall. Across from her was an open window, its light blue curtains fluttering gently as a breeze pushed them forward. Outside she could hear the faint rustling of leaves, and small beams of sunlight hit the floor, making it appear golden in colour. The light seemed a little brighter than usual. Tilly rubbed her eyes, and using the wall to help her, she stood up. She looked around. The walls were an off white colour, and the smell of paint stung at her nose. She checked her hands. No paint. To the right of the window was a staircase. She began to head towards it, being cautious with her steps. The floorboards still creaked under her feet. She held her breath. _Why am I scared?_

There was a slam. The window had shut itself. The sunlight disappeared, and the hallway became dark. Tilly retreated back to the wall, her heart beginning to beat heavily in her chest. She hated this feeling. Somehow, she knew that going downstairs would mean the end. How could she, though? She had never been in this place before… Suddenly, a boy appeared beside her. Although it was dark, she could clearly see his face. He was about her age, possibly a year to two older. When her eyes met his he gave her a pained smile.

'Tilly. It's okay, you can go out the window over there. I'll stay here.'

She studied his face. There was something about his dark brown eyes that was familiar to her. She reached out her hand to touch his cheek, but he pressed himself against the wall and turned away.

'I won't let you do that, Tilly. You have to leave.'

'Who are you?'

There was a loud thump and a muffled cry. It seemed to come from behind the wall the boy was standing in front of. He became nervous and upset, and while his expression changed, he coughed and covered his mouth with his hand. Tilly noticed small red specks on his hand as he withdrew it. Blood. Tilly took a small step back.

'What happened to you? What's behind you?'

She hadn't noticed it at first, but he was standing in front of a door. He followed her gaze, then shook his head.

'You don't need to remember that. Please escape while you can.'

'I want to know what's behind that door! I could help! Move aside!'

She began to push him out of the way, and as she did, he began to disappear, his body turning onto white smoke that seemed to be absorbed by the air itself. He faded away into the darkness completely when she pushed open the door. When her eyes fell upon the horror that was inside, she truly wished that she had listened to him. Sitting on the floor, with his back against the wall was the boy. His body was rigid, and he looked up at her with glassy eyes. Blood poured from his mouth, and hovering over his stomach was a corpse. The corpse smelt foul, and was covered in rotting flesh. Their face was buried in his abdomen, the teeth pulling and tearing at his flesh. Blood was pooling on the floor, the thick puddle growing in size as the monster continued its feast. Tilly watched on in horror as the boys eyes continued to stare right through her. His mouth moved as Tilly was dragged away from the scene by an unknown force. The room grew smaller and smaller. She fell into the darkness as he mouthed something to her, but before the words could reach her, she had been pulled away.

Tilly woke to the humming of a car engine and the feeling of wind on her face from the open window. She looked ahead and noticed that they had caught up with the others.

'Tilly, you're awake.'

Miah was still driving, and it seemed as though they had been traveling for some time by the position of the sun. The grey clouds that were once overhead had completely disappeared, but the air was still hot and humid. Tilly wiggled in her seat and moved closer to the window. Although the breeze was harsh due to their speed, it was refreshing. Miah laughed.

'Are you a dog or something? Oh, I didn't mean to eavesdrop or anything, but I was right next to you…Tilly, who is Simon?'


End file.
